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Formulating An Intentional Curriculum For Spiritual Leadership Development At The West University Church Of Christ, Daniel A. Mcgraw

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project addresses the lack of a formal curriculum for spiritual leadership formation in the West University Church of Christ in Houston, Texas. While the West University Church of Christ has been blessed by strong congregational leaders in both the past and present, recent conversations revealed the need for a deeper connection to God and a better understanding of spiritual leadership on the part of the congregation’s leaders. The problem I identified was a lack of understanding about spiritual leadership in contrast to secular understandings of leadership and the lack of a formal curriculum to help address this problem.

This …

The Pastor As Leader: Assessment, Change, And Growth In Pastoral Leadership Style And Ability, David C. Crawford

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

D.Min. dissertation, Asbury Theological Seminary, 2014.

Full Text of the Dissertation

This study explored the leadership perceptions of a sampling of Nazarene pastors who were predominantly newer in ministry in terms of years of service in the Southwest Ohio District. This qualitative analysis sought to measure their self-reported leadership style and self-described leadership ability both prior to and following a leadership seminar devoted to the development of pastoral leaders.

A Holistic Process For Leading Organizational Change, Robert John Eschlemann

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Ed.D. dissertation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Full Text of the Dissertation

With over two million resources available for organizational change, and an emphasis on church revitalization by organizations as such as NaMB, is it possible the disconnected variations of organizational change have created so much confusion that it prevents a simple, comprehensive, and comprehensible understanding? In order to explore this question, and to advance a preferred method, case studies of organizational change within the Bible were conducted, and secular organizational change studies were evaluated. context analysis was used to review current change theory literature. Six functions of change were …

Exploring The Transition Experience For The First Time Local Conference Presidents In The North American Division Of Seventh-Day Adventists: Narratives From Conference Presidents' Career Transitions, David E. Weigley

Dissertations

The position of the president of a conference in the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists (a senior leadership role) has currently no policy stipulating leadership training prerequisites. Leaders transitioning into the president’s position typically are selected from a pool of successful pastors, departmental directors, and executive secretaries by a constituency meeting of delegates from local churches and conference institutions.

This qualitative study probed the transition of 12 first-time local conference presidents. The information was gathered by recording in-depth interviews. Eight themes surfaced from the exploration. Leaders experienced the transition as overwhelming, challenging their spirituality, involving new constellations of relationships, …

Authentic Leadership And Its Relationship To Ministerial Effectiveness, Timothy R. Puls, Laverne L. Ludden, James Freemyer

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Empathy And Servant-Leadership: The Complementary Nature Of Simulation Theory And Theory Of Mind In Education, Faith Valente

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

Every teacher should attempt to guide the personal and social development of his or her students (Wilson 2011, 246). The effectiveness and efficiency with which such elucidation takes place, however, may depend to a great extent on the empathetic understanding between pupil and instructor (208). The discernment that teachers and students exhibit regarding their own lives and the realities experienced by other persons will affect what can be taught and learned. Constructive development theory suggests that to be most effective, teachers who are leaders must understand how students think and feel about themselves (McCauley et al. 2006). Several studies have …

Two By Two Leadership: A Model Of Christian Leadership, Joseph Swanner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A growing number of scholars are accepting the suggestion that shared leadership is preferred over individual leadership. The shared leadership model is proliferating into new fields where it is being modified and improved. Biblically, there is a pattern of sending individuals two by two into leadership, as well. Christian leadership models of the future must also return to the two by two, co-leader ideal. There is room for strategizing the details of what this model will look like on a practical level. Utilizing a case study and surveys, this project examines the effects of this leadership model in a church …

Elder Selection: Engaging The Monterey Church Of Christ In A Collaborative Elder Selection Process, Benjamin D. Pickett

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the outcomes of a project intended to foster greater collaboration at the Monterey Church of Christ in its selection of elders. The intervention involved the engagement of the Monterey Church in a process that involved multiple steps. These steps involved engagement with teachers in the context of a teacher training seminar, with Bible classes in a series of Bible lessons, and with elders, elder nominees, and their spouses in order to discern the perceived degree to which Monterey members participate in the elder selection process. The Bible lessons presented an alternative model for theological …

Implementing A Discernment Phase For Those Nominated In The Shepherd Selection Process At The Cinco Ranch Church Of Christ, Aaron Walling

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that implemented a discernment phase for those nominated in the shepherd selection process at the Cinco Ranch Church of Christ. Occurring in the fall of 2010, this project involved nominees in a series of six one-hour, thirty-minute sessions designed to establish the theological foundations for shepherding and to explore its practical expression at Cinco Ranch. For the theological component, this project primarily utilized Ephesians 4:11-16, and for the practical side, it incorporated group interactions with those serving as shepherds along with the review of guiding leadership documents. The project‟s …

Bringing Christ To The Table Of Leadership: Moving Towards A Theology Of Leadership, Russell Huizing

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Christian Realism And Augustinian (?) Liberalism, Peter Iver Kaufman

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Surely there is enough kindling lying about in the Bible and in subsequent moral theology to fire up love for neighbors and compassion for countless “friends” in foreign parts--and in crisis. And, surely, the momentum of love’s labor for the just redistribution of resources, fueled by activists’ appeals for solidarity, should be sustained by stressing that we are creatures made for affection, not for aggression. Yet experience, plus the history of the Christian traditions, taught Reinhold Niebuhr, who memorably reminded Christian realists, how often love was “defeated,” how a “strategy of brotherhood . . . degenerates from mutuality to a …

Toward A Servant-Led Response Rooted In Forgiveness And Restorative Justice In The Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse Scandal, Dung Q. Tran

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

A STORY OF CLERGY ABUSE AND FORGIVENESS ASKING A chill in the air, fog smearing his windows, Tom Blanchette drove west of Boston to Lexington. He had an appointment with Father Joseph Birmingham. It had been twenty-five years since Birmingham's going-away party in Sudbury, where they last spoke. "How could I ever explain to anybody that I had laid naked in Father B.'s bed over a hundred times? I didn't know how to explain these experiences. All I knew was I didn't like it. But I saw him every Saturday and Sunday, because I worked in the church rectory; I …

Storm Warnings: The Obvious And Latent Disorder Approaching From Changes In The Environment, Addiction, And Family Structure, Charles W. Kinman

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is." Luke 12:54-55 As the crowd looks to the expanding global horizon, they see complex social change approaching like brewing storms. These storms threaten to introduce powerful winds of disconnection, disorder, and chaos that will generate great challenges for leaders in the next decade. The first storm is the environment's irreparable changes in nature and population. The second storm is society's …

Congregational Care And Support Of Pastors In Parish Ministry: A Social Systems Approach To The Care Of Servant Leaders, Dawn M. Nelson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Congregational care and support of pastors in parish ministry is rarely considered. While there is literature regarding clergy stress, burnout, and satisfaction; studies were not located regarding the active role of congregations in the care and support of the parish pastor.

The church is a social system and can be studied as such. Information was obtained from church communities that are members of the Presbyterian Church USA, in Minnesota. The study will explore pastoral perceptions as well as congregational perceptions to determine understanding and involvement of the congregation in the provision of pastoral care and support. The results of the …

Blessing And Sending The Church Into The World For The Sake Of The World, Using Congregational Blessings As A Missional Enterprise, Michael Harbour

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project equipped the elders to function as a community of men called and authorized by God to bless and send his people into the world for the sake of the world. They were equipped through seven sessions of theological reflection on Scripture and reflection on narratives of those who have offered pastoral blessings. The sessions also included an examination of templates and the opportunity to practice writing and speaking blessings. The elders have been speaking a shepherd’s blessing as the last liturgical act of the Sunday assembly. In this project, missional and textual focus was given to the …

Acts 2:42 In 2006: Examining Small Group Discussion In An American Mega-Church, Sheri Guseman Edd

Dissertations

During the last century, Americans have become increasingly isolated from one another, resulting in feelings of loneliness and creating a void of community (Frazee, 2001). However, as attendance at mainline churches continues to decline (Stafford, 1998), attendance and participation in mega-churches, defined as those serving more than 2,500 individuals and offering a multiplicity of services, continues to increase (http://www.hirr.hartsem.edu/org ). One popular explanation for this phenomenon is that mega-churches are often characterized by an organized small group ministry---something absent in more traditional churches. Although this trend has clearly swept the nation (Gladwell, 2005), related research on the efficacy of the …

A Beginning Look At Leadership In A Church Setting, Kevin M. Hass

Honors Theses

This paper will call upon three types of information to express current thought in how Leadership occurs (or should occur in the Church setting. These two different sources are 1) an accumulation of two local Pastors' thoughts and ideas gathered from two separate interviews the I conducted, and 2) my experiences and insights as I have dealt with leadership in this setting over the course of my life-time, but more specifically in the last four years.

An Analysis Of Dialogue For Understanding Educators' Stress: Implications For Voice, Listening And Leadership, Joanna R. Doonan Edd

Dissertations

Research indicates that educator stress is a widespread phenomenon that not only impacts the educational community, but society at large. This being the case, there is an urgent need to consider this phenomenon within responsible school leadership. In particular, understanding what creates stress for educators, and learning more about leadership responses that would support educators under stress, are critical to more holistic school leadership, and for enabling teachers to envision a viable future for themselves. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine how school principals and colleagues might respond to educators coping with professional stress, so that they …

Mr. S. And The Robert Greenleaf Servant Leadership Theory And The Effectiveness Of Mr. S.'S Leadership Skills With Volunteer Groups, Anita C. Walters

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this paper is to examine and evaluate the Servant Leadership Theory of Robert Greenleaf and to compare it to the leadership skills of Mr. S.

Mr. S. is a licensed minister who will be ordained in the near future. He volunteers as a lay counselor for at least four organizations including a chemical dependency program for young men and a program for juvenile offenders. He teaches bible classes and counsels young adults involved in these programs.

The research methodology used in this study included a personal interview and questionnaire for Mr. S. and a survey and questionnaire …

Leadership In Christian Organizations : A Study Of Christian Leadership As It Attempts To Implement Vision And Change, Bartholomew Irwin

Honors Theses

God does call certain people to be leaders in the church and grants them the skills necessary to fill their position. However, there are also examples where the Lord used specific leadership training, in the form of letters and mentorship, in order to better equip leaders to use the gifts given to them. This paper will look at the need for leadership training in the church today. Leadership training will be studied as it related to the Leaders ability to deal with changes and crisis, specifically pertaining the problem arising from membership drops in the main line denominational churches. A …

Women In Leadership Project: Research Register, Linley Lord, Leanne Burton

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

The Nature And Authority Of Scripture : Historical Sources And Theological Engagement For Congregational Awareness And Reflection, Carson Reed

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

For many Christians, biblical authority is rooted in the concept of inerrancy or in the historical veracity. But within a increasingly post-modern culture, the church faces a crisis in both of these foundations. The modern presuppositions that undergird the inerrancy doctrine and the historical-critical method are showing distinct cracks in the once seamless confidence placed in both approaches. Additionally, for Churches of Christ, understandings about the nature and authority of Scripture area just below the surface of a number of issues confronting congregations. This project/thesis seeks to address this growing dilemma within the context of the Westlake Church of Christ …

Leadership Training Of Ministerial Students In Evangelical Institutions Of Higher Education, Alan E. Nelson Edd

Dissertations

There exists a growing sense within evangelicalism in the United States, that more and better leaders are needed in local congregations. Traditionally, seminaries, graduate and undergraduate schools have prepared pastors to fulfill these roles and satisfy church expectations. The majority of pastoral preparation is theological in nature, augmented by ministerial skill courses. The hypothesis of this research was that little has been done in the area of leadership development and that an optimum program is needed to serve as a model. The intent of this research was twofold. First, the researcher needed to determine to what extent pastoral preparation programs …